Flint positioning mechanism



March 28, 1950 R. 1 BURCHETT FLINT POSITIONING MECHANISM Filed June 26, 1947 I8 INVENTORY RAY L. BURCHETT.

EY Mmp-M Patented Mar. 28, 1950 TNI TED STATES @PATENT 0F FI CE FLINT POSITIONING MECHANISM Ray L. Burchet-t, East Orange, N. J.,'rassignorito Bonson Art :Metal Works, ."Inc., Newark, N. J., .a corporation of N ew Jersey vApplication June '26, 1947, Serial No. 7557,1"92

"6 Claims.

vmechanism is continued :after fthe kiiint 'has `become `worn 4very thin, 'the `latter is likely to jam against thezabradantfwheel. so :as to require 'return Ito .the manufacturer tor repair, or ifthe vfiint becomes completely consumed without jamming and :operation 'of .the :mechanism iis continued,

vinjury .to the abradant wheel or to vthe parts which 'press vthe nintza'gains'tthe wheel is likely 4to result. The'present 'invention aims primarily to provide-.a flint positioning mechanism by inspection `of which the .operator may readily de- .termine L'at-anytime theiextent to which the int .has been consumed, lthe mechanism being preferably `arranged toserveias a positive stop limiting the extent Ito which the flint can be consumed and therefore lpreventing 'jamming of `the latter or injury to 'adjacent parts of the mechanism. The invention V'also aims to 'provide a flint .positioning 'mechanism of vthe above charn acter which will fit compactly Ainto tl'ieassernbly and may rbe .readily adjusted as lneeded in the replacement oi .iiints .Further objects and advantagesoi y:the invention .will fbe lin part robvious `and tin `part speciically 'referred to kin the -Adescription hereinafter contained which, `taken fin conjunction `with the Vaccompanying drawings, discloses a preferred tform Aor" flint supporting rmechanism constructed tofoperate inzaccordance with-the invention. The disclosure however should be=considered as merely illustrative fof the invention. In the ldrawings- Fig. 1 is :a side view with certain yparts "cut away of `a cigar lighter equipped `with a iiin't positioning :mechanism .constructed 'to .operate in accordance vwith fthe invention.

Fig. 2 lis la fdetail longitudinal section showing in `a =dierent position, the llower parts vof the flint `positioning mechanism-"of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is Aa bottom `plan `view of .such mechrotatedin contaotlwith 'the 'flint S, upon depression oi the 'fingerpiece Theint 6 is slidably received 'in a `nini Stube? mounted at its upper end within a collar i8 which is fixed to the top wall of casing I. At its flower end the flint tube is shown as xed to a shell 9, which latter is attached `to `the Vbottom `wall vIIJ of the casing.

The vflint 't I'is vheld 'in operative position and `pressed into 'contact 'with the abradant wheel 2 by means of an elongated 4thrust rod `I I, the upper end portion r*I2 of which engages the iiin't and is pressed against the latterby a spring I3 which surrounds therod II.

In the form yof the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 3, the :lower end of rod `I=I passesslidably through the base of a cup-like fitting I4, the yhead I5 at the lower rend of rod lII being rurged toward the seating position shown in Fig. 1 by spring I3. The spacewithin the shell 9 provides a ip'ocketfin thebottomwall I() of the fuel casing, within which pocket `the head I5 of the thrust rod and the tting `are received. The fitting vIll `is detachably held in the position shown Ain Fig. 1, wherein the 'rod II presses the flint 6 against wheel 2, and the 'length of the rod II is such that when the iiint 6 `has been worn away .to the fairly thindisk-like shape shown in Fig. v1, the head I5 of the rod will assume the seating position shown `in Fig. T1, .thus relieving the `pressure `on the flint, :and preventing the iiint from being worn down so thin as to be likely to jam. Under the aboveconditions sparks `are no longer .produced and 'both 4by the position of the head I5 and the cessation-of spark production, it will be indicated to the user that the nearly -consumed flint should be removed and a new int substituted. To remove the nearly consumed flint, the user will turn the tting I4 to disengage it from the parts fixed to the casing, whereupon the rod II and'spring I3 will slide out of tube 'l unitarily with the fitting I4. Then the nearly consumed .int f6 will slide out freely through the lower end of tube l. The spring I3 seats against the'ba'se of the tting I4, as an abutment, `which vlatter when in operative rela'- tion to the adjacentfpartsmccupies a denite and predetermined .position longitudinallyof the kfiint tube 7, thereby insuring that the longitudinal position of the head I5 within shell 9 and fitting I4, correctly indicates the extent of consumption of the flint.

Fig. 2 shows the position of the parts when a fresh longer flint 6a has been inserted into tube 1, and the rod II and tting I4 have been partially reinserted toward operative position. In the form of the invention under discussion the lower end of fitting I4 projects through a non-circular opening I6 in the bottom wall I0 of the casing, and the head of fitting I4 is also provided with flanges I'I which in one angular position will pass inwardly through the opening IB, but in other angular positions will lock behind the shoulders I8 on the bottom wall lil of the casing. Fig. 2 shows the parts in the positions they assume before the fitting I4 has been pushed inwardly and rotated to lock the fitting in place, and it will be noted that in this to the head of fitting I4, and then rotate the latter until the shoulders I'I are alined with opening I6, the procedure being the reverse when the flint positioning assembly is to be reinserted into operative position.

In Fig. 4 the invention is disclosed as applied to a construction having a bent flint tube Ia which receives the flint 6b, the latter being held in contact with the sparking wheel 2a. In this instance the stiff rod I I of Figs. 1 and 2 is replaced by a flexible strand IIa of music wire or the like, which is attached at its upper end to a ball shaped part I2a similar to the part I2 previously described, and attached at its lower end to a head I5a similar to the part I5 previously described. A spring I3a similar to the spring I3 previously described surrounds the wire strand Ila, and the parts 9a, I4a, I6a, etc. of Fig. 4, i. e. the remaining parts at the bottom of Fig. 4, may be understood as similar respectively to the parts numbered 9, I4, etc. in Figs. 1 to 3. The mode of operation of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, is the same as previously described, except that when inserted into the bent flint tube 1a, the flexible strand I Ia `will bend as needed to conform itself to the curvature of the tube.

While the invention has been disclosed as applied to flint positioning mechanisms having the above described specific features of construction, it should be understood that changes may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l.. A flint positioning mechanism of the character described, including a fuel casing, a flint tube enclosed by said casing having its forward flint positioning end located near one wall of the casing and its rear end located near another wall of the casing, the last mentioned wall of said casing having an inwardly extending shell alined with thel rear end of said flint tube, a thrust rod for the flint enclosed by said tube and a spring urging said thrust rod toward the forward end of the flint tube, said thrust rod having a head at the rear end of the flint tube which is exposed to view within the aforesaid shell in the casing wall, said spring acting between said thrust rod and an abutment which when in operative relation to the aforesaid parts is restricted to a definite predetermined position longitudinally of said flint tube, whereby in use of the mechanism the position of the head of the thrust rod indicates the extent of consumption of the flint.

2. A flint positioning mechanism of the character described, including a fuel casing, a flint tube enclosed by said casing having its forward flint positioning end located near one wall of the casing and its rear end located near another wall of the casing, the last mentioned wall of said casing having an inwardly extending shell alined with the rear end of said flint tube, a thrust rod for the flint enclosed by said tube and a spring urging said thrust rod toward the forward end of the ilint tube, said thrust rod having a head at the rear end of the flint tube which is exposed to View within the aforesaid shell in the casing wall, said spring acting between said thrust rod and an abutment which when in operative relation to the aforesaid parts is restricted to a definite predetermined position longitudinally of said flint tube, whereby in use of the mechanism the position of the head of the thrust rod indicates the extent of consumption of the flint, and a stop member located in the path of movement of said thrust rod, said stop member being positioned to prevent further forward movement of the thrust rod somewhat before the flint is completely consumed.

3. A flint positioning mechanism of the character described including a fuel casing, a flint tube enclosed by said casing having its forward flint positioning end located near one wall of the casing and its rear end located near another wall of the casing, the last mentioned wall of said casing having an inwardly extending shell alined with the rear end of said flint tube, a thrust rod for the flint enclosed by said tube, and a spring urging said thrust rod toward the forward end of the flint tube, said thrust rod having an enlarged head at the rear end of the flint tube, a tting detachably fixed in position in said shell and having a recess in which the head of said rod is slidably received, the head of the thrust rod being exposed to view within said fitting, said spring acting between said thrust rod and said fitting, and said fitting when in operating relation to the aforesaid parts being restricted to a definite and predetermined position longitudinally of said flint tube, whereby in use of the mechanism the position of the head of the thrust rod with respect to said fitting indicates the extent of consumption of the flint.

4. A flint positioning mechanism of the character described including a fuel casing, a flint tube enclosed by said casing having its forward flint positioning end located near one wall of 75 received, the head of the thrust rod being exposed to view within said fitting, a spring urging said thrust rod towardthe forward end of the flint tube and acting between said fitting and thrust rod, said fitting when in operating relation to the aforesaid parts being restricted to a definite predetermined position longitudinally of said fiint tube, whereby in use of the mechanism the position of the head of the thrust rod indicates the extent of consumption of the flint, said tting having a baseagainst which the head of the thrust rod seats and which is positioned to prevent forward movement of the thrust rod somewhat before the flint is completely consumed.

5. A flint positioning mechanism of the character described, including a fuel casing, a fiint tube of curved shape enclosed by said casing having its forward flint positioning end located near one wall of the casing and its rear end located near another wallof the casing, the last mentioned wall of said casing having an inwardly extending shell alined with the rear end of said flint tube, a thrust member for the fiint enclosed by said tube and a spring urging said thrust member toward the forward end of the flint tube, said thrust member having a strand extending longitudinally of the flint tube which is fiexible to accommodate itself to the curvature of said flint tube, said thrust member having a head at the rear end of the int tube which is exposed to view within the aforesaid shell in the casing wall, said spring acting between said thrust rod and an abutment which when in operative relation to the aforesaid parts is restricted to a definite predetermined position longitudinally of said iiint tube, whereby in use of the mechanism the position of the head of the thrust member in said shell indicates the extent of consumption of the flint.

6. A iiint positioning mechanism of the character described, including a fuel casing, a flint tube enclosed by said casing having its forward flint positioning end located near one wall of the casing and its rear end located near anotherv wall of the casing, the last mentioned wall of said casing having an inwardly extending shell aline with the rear end of said fiint tube, a thrust rod for the flint enclosed by said tube and fa spring urging said thrust rod toward the forward end of the flint tube, a fitting detachably fixedA in position in said shell, said thrust rod having a head which is exposed to View within saiditting, said spring yieldably bearing against saidliitting whereby said thrust rod, spring and fitting are withdrawable as a unit from said shell when said fitting is detached from the shell, the head of the thrust rod being exposed to view within said tting and said fitting when in operating relation to the aforesaid parts being restricted to a denite predetermined position longitudinally of said iiint tube, whereby in use offA the mechanism the position of the head of thje thrust rod with respect to the fitting, indicates the extent of consumption of the int.

RAY L. BURCHETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are oi' record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date `1,695,507 Redinger Dec. 18, 1928 1,792,350 Aronson Feb. 10, 1931 1,813,715 Summer July 7, 1931 1,818,724 Liss Aug. 11, 1931 1,822,505 Rogers Sept. 8, 1931 1,845,361 Szekeres 'Feb. 16, 1932 1,956,187 Aronson Apr. 24, 1934 2,027,294 Silberknopf Jan. 7, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 124,122 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1919 656,527 France Jan. 2, 1929 

